Protected and conserved areas 2

Question 1

Planning vs performance

Answer 1

If Systematic Conservation Planning is done right, it introduces a bias in what we see in protected areas

Question 2

Counterfactual

Answer 2

Understanding protected area effectiveness requires understanding the difference they have made…
…by asking what would have happened in the
absence of protection

Question 3

High and far

Answer 3

Protected areas tend to be located in areas with low pressure that means
- High elevation
- Remote - far from people
- Poor agricultural land
- No alternative uses

Question 4

Statistical matching to address

Answer 4

Protected areas are not located randomly in the landscape

… the locations are often influenced by the outcome

… they often follow the “high and far” principle

Question 5

Are protected areas effective?

Answer 5

Pressure has increased inside protected areas

Even more inside than in matched outside

This is largely driven by agriculture and erosion of local rights and governance

Question 6

Types of design

Answer 6

Control vs. Intervention (CI)

Before vs. after (BA)

The combination (BACI)

Question 7

Huge gaps in capacity and resources

Answer 7

Waldron et al. (2020) estimated that for protected areas alone
$103 - $178 billions are needed
… and that currently only ca. $25 billion is being spend on protected areas

This is resulting in a huge variation in the effectiveness of protected areas in delivering biodiversity outcomes

This variation related to the biases in the locations and context of the sites

The variation in effectiveness is best explained by better management,
engagement of stakeholders, and good governance

Question 8

Protected areas does not meet the needs – and it shows

Answer 8

Protected areas are not sufficiently targeting the right places (lecture I)

Protected areas are not sufficiently delivering positive conservation outputs

But also, many cases where protected areas are the only reason we have any biodiversity left